At the base of Chiyue Mountain.

“Lila, sweetie, Grandma's heading back now, alright? You just wait right here for your family. When someone shows up, make sure to ask if they're really here for you before getting in the car, got it?” Mrs. Taylor crouched in front of her, clearly torn—her grandson was waiting at home, but leaving Lila, a three-year-old, here all alone made her uneasy.

“I got it, Grandma! I’m a big girl now. You can go check on Bo-ge without worrying about me.” Lila grinned brightly, patting her little chest like she was making a solemn vow.

“Alright, alright. Just remember to give Grandma a call once you get there, okay?”

“Okay, Grandma!”

Once Mrs. Taylor left, Lila stood alone, a large bundle nearly half her size beside her. She also had a wooden sword slung across her back, inherited from her ancestors, and those two neat little pigtails on her head made her look even more adorable.

The sun gradually dipped toward the horizon. After munching on five steamed buns and draining a big bottle of water, Lila finally spotted a vehicle approaching in the distance.

She stood on tiptoe, hopeful little eyes fixed on the oncoming van—only for it to drive right past her.

“Huh? So it wasn’t them?” she muttered, a little confused. But then the van suddenly reversed and rolled back toward her.

“Boss, check this out. There’s a little kid here,” the driver, Louie, said as he spotted Lila alone in the area. Something about that scene sparked an idea in his head.

“Back it up,” the man they called Boss ordered, sliding his sunglasses down and leaning closer to the window to get a better look at the tiny figure. He scanned the surroundings. Empty. Perfect.

“On it.” Louie perked up, throwing the van into reverse and stopping it right in front of Lila.

She looked at the van with wide, curious eyes as a plump woman climbed down first.

“Hey there, sweetheart. Are you by yourself?” the woman asked gently, thinking her friendly tone would put the kid at ease.

She started to crouch, but her tight pants protested with a worrying stretch, so she awkwardly shifted into a half-squat instead.

Lila eyed her closely, puzzled by the question.

She glanced around—yep, still just her here.

“Auntie, are your eyes not working or something? Doesn’t really look like I brought a twin, right?” Her voice was sweet but her face was serious, which made the woman choke for a second, unsure what to say back.

Then Lila asked brightly, “Auntie, did my mom and dad send you guys to pick me up?”

“Uh—yeah, yeah! Your dad asked us to come get you. It’s getting late, let’s hop in the car, shall we?” the woman quickly said, trying to keep things moving before the kid started asking too many questions.

“Alright then. I’ve been waiting forever!” Lila said cheerfully, picking up her big bundle without any help and climbing into the van like she knew exactly what she was doing.

But as soon as she got inside, her nose crinkled at the vibe in the van—it felt weirdly cold and heavy. Lila frowned, sensing something... off.

The van sped off in a cloud of dust.

None of the folks in the van noticed that not long after they left, a luxurious Maybach cruised up the road and hummed to a stop under a tree right where Lila had just been standing.

The first thing to hit the light was a pair of polished dress shoes. Blake Fields stepped out, ironing-board-stiff in his expensive tailored suit, completely out of place in this rural setting.

He patted down his jacket with a mildly annoyed expression, then looked up at the mountain ahead of him.Blake Fields stood in the middle of nowhere, annoyed as hell, and pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it up with a scowl.

“Damn it. Wasn’t this the damn spot? Where the hell is she?” He muttered, clearly reaching his limit after finishing the whole cigarette without seeing a single soul. With a flick, he tossed the butt aside.

Right then, his phone rang. He picked up, voice instantly softer and a lot more cautious.

“Not yet, haven’t gotten the kid… maybe she wandered off or something… Yeah, yeah, got it.” Hanging up with a forced smile, he stood there for another minute or two, but his impatience was written all over his face.

After still seeing no sign of the girl, Blake just got back in the car and drove off, deciding to let them know later that she never showed. Honestly, if the little brat never came back, it’d actually save him some trouble.

Meanwhile, Lila Rivers sat in the back of the van, looking around with a curious frown, trying to figure out where the creepy vibe was coming from. She turned her head and caught sight of the cargo area behind, and that’s where the chill hit hardest—yeah, that part of the van definitely had something off about it. Like… maybe there’d been a dead person back there?

But why would a car meant to pick her up have that kind of energy?

She didn’t get it. The woman sitting beside her didn’t expect the little girl to start scanning the place like she was searching for clues. The nerve-wracking feeling of guilt crept in—sure, the kid was small, but what if she noticed something?

To make things worse, the woman’s stomach growled loudly. Lila turned to her with big, pitiful eyes. “Auntie, do you have any food? Lila’s really hungry.”

The woman let out a breath of relief. She exchanged a look with Louie, the guy up front, then bent down to pull some bread from under the seat. Forcing a smile, she said, “Sweetie, we’re almost there. Just eat a little bread for now, okay?”

Lila was starving and wasn’t picky. She tore open the wrappers and munched quietly. Two pieces were gone in no time, but she still felt hungry. Spotting a plastic bag nearby, she peeked into it and asked, “Auntie, what’s that? Can Lila have a drink?”

She looked up at the woman with wide, watery eyes, like she’d burst into tears if told no.

“Heh… yeah, go ahead.” The woman laughed awkwardly. But inside, she was cursing up a storm. This brat better sell for a decent price, or it wasn’t worth it.

“Thank you, Auntie!” Lila said sweetly before chugging the drink like she owned it.

From the front seats, Louie and the boss exchanged looks. As soon as Lila finished the last drop of milk, the woman leaned in like she was just wiping her mouth—only to slip her the drug. Lila slumped instantly, out cold.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They were all worried this random little kid they'd picked up might mess up their plan.

The van rattled its way to an old farmhouse. She was still knocked out cold when the car stopped. One of the guys went to pick her up—but holy crap, she was heavy. He struggled for a good while and still couldn't lift her.

“What are you, useless? Can’t even lift a kid?” the boss barked, brushing past him to try himself.

But same deal—he couldn’t lift her either.

Awkward silence filled the air. Nobody dared say a word until the chubby woman finally stepped up and carried Lila out. She squinted suspiciously. The kid didn’t feel heavy at all… kinda weird.

Lila still had her little bundle clutched tight, fingers not letting go even in her sleep. The woman tried pulling it away a few times, but it wouldn’t budge. So she gave up and carried the girl and the bundle together inside.

But the way she dumped her on the floor—yeah, not gentle at all.